Who We Are

I. Tobin Tax Initiative - USA (TTI-USA)

Our goal is to increase a national dialogue on the Tobin Tax proposal by
raising awareness and education among grassroots organizations, opinion
leaders, and policymakers in the United States. TTI-USA also acts in
solidarity and cooperation with international efforts to get Tobin-style
taxes adopted around the world.

The TTI-USA is a program of the International Innovative Revenue Project
(IIRP-see below) which in turn is a project of the Center for
Environmental Economic Development.

Since the Tobin Tax Initiative began in spring 1998, we have worked to
build networks and coalitions as well as to educate and outreach. By
March 1999, we were able to form an ad-hoc National Advisory Committee
for the Tobin Tax Initiative, with representatives and supporters from 80
organizations. After that we instigated the formation of the TSAN (Tax
Speculation Action Network, see below) which held its first meeting in
March 2000. TTI-USA is a member of TSAN and helps to coordinate the
network, along with several other active organizations.

In addition to our other activities, we publish a monthly email
newsletter, the Tobin Tax Update, to keep you informed of the latest
events. To get on our email list, contact the initiative or write to us
at cecilr@humboldt1.com or at TTI-USA, P.O.Box 4167, Arcata, CA 95518-4167.

II. The International Innovative Revenue Project

Our mission is to increase citizen awareness of the need for
international public revenue and expenditures, so that worthy projects to
alleviate poverty and reverse environmental degradation may be enacted.
We do this by focusing attention on various innovative concepts for
generation of revenue through international cooperation: concepts such as
the Tobin Tax. We also engage in research and encourage citizen policy
formation and participation. We oversee the work of the Tobin Tax
Initiative-USA (see above). For more details on the research of the
IIRP, see our Innovative Approaches to Revenue section, which will link
you to research about other innovative ideas besides the Tobin Tax
proposal.

A new approach to funding global priorities... In the emerging context
of a globalized economy, there is still a lack of funds for urgent global
priorities. Global problems such as poverty and hunger, population
growth and unemployment, global climate change, deforestation, declining
fisheries and pollution threaten local communities worldwide. Projects
which could help to address environmental degradation, provide disaster
aid, combat poverty and create jobs could cost $400 to $600 billion
annually. Between national foreign aid and private donors, the need is
not met, and some nations continue to cut back on aid budgets. New
approaches to international public finance will provide part of the answer,
through the international cooperation of governments and parliaments.
Sizable amounts of additional revenue for local projects around the world
will help turn the tide towards global solutions now, in the 21st
century...

The IIRP began as a local project in Arcata, California, as a
collaborative effort between a local nonprofit group and some faculty
members from Humboldt State University . We then established a Local
Advisory Committee, in February 1998. This Local Advisory Committee
acted as founding members of IIRP, and saw the need to move to a regional
approach in order to reach more people. To support the beginning of the
Tobin Tax Initiative, we then formed a Regional Advisory Committee in
San Francisco made up of grassroots leadership from labor, indigenous,
environmental, ecumenical, and globalization/economics groups. The
RAC-SF as a group wrote the Tobin Tax Initiative List of Principles, one of the first citizen platforms specific to Tobin-style taxes. The
Regional Committees work on policy analysis, regional education, and
advocacy.

There are four components of the work of IIRP. They are listed here,
with links to other pages on our website:

Citizen Protocols for Financing Sustainable Development We
are increasing our work on citizen-initiated protocols for Financing
Sustainable Development. The detailed work will involve citizen
participation in formulating the local plans and budgets for sustainable
development projects to meet urgent global priorities.

III. TSAN - Tax Speculation Action Network

After two years of meeting informally, those groups with an interest in Tobin Taxes and taxing speculation, formed a national steering committee in the US, called TSAN (Tax Speculation Action Network). We meet twice a year in person, once in Washington DC or New York and once in San Francisco or Seattle, and between times by conference calls as needed. Still in our formation, we learn and strategize, rather than engage in public position-taking. During the recent April 2000 mobilization we met twice in DC, on March 29 and April 11. Interested organizational representitives are encouraged to contact us for more information.

IV. The Interntional Tobin Tax Movement

TTI-USA acts in partnership and solidarity with our sister campaign organizations around the world, including: